Journalists in attendance at Brazil's World Cup press conference were left shocked when a member of the press team threw a cat off the top table.
Brazil are preparing for their World Cup quarter-final encounter with Croatia on Thursday and Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr was put up for press duties on Wednesday. However, he was joined at the front of the room by a feline friend.
The cat was perched on top of the desk as Vinicius sat down to take questions from the assembled press, before one of Brazil's media staff promptly sought to move it before the conference got under way.
READ MORE: World Cup quarter-final line-up in full: Teams, dates, TV channels and possible semi-finals
As Vinicius is mid-answer to one question, the media staffer stands up and picks the cat up, with one hand grabbing it behind the neck and the other halfway down its back. He picks it up in the air and launches it off the desk and on to the floor in front.
When the cat hits the ground, you can audibly hear gasps from the shocked journalists in attendance at the Al Arabi SC Stadium in Doha, at which point Vinicius stops his answer to the question and looks at his compatriot. The room falls silent as the media officer looks at Vinicius confused and shrugs his shoulders, before the winger bursts out laughing to cut through the mounting tension.
The video has gone viral and lit up social media, with fans questioning why the cat had to be handled in such a way.
It was a rather sizeable distraction away from the football and it is not the first time that has happened during this World Cup in Qatar, to say the least.
The Brazilians were also criticised, notably by ITV pundit Roy Keane, for the manner in which they celebrated their goals during their 4-1 triumph over South Korea on Monday night. However, Vinicius hit back at the critics during Wednesday's press conference.
"Sure, some love to complain when they see other people's happiness and we Brazilians are a joyful people, so it will always bother them," he said on Wednesday.
"The goal is the most important moment in football, in a World Cup it is even more important so it's a moment of joy not only for us, players, but for our entire country.
"We still have many celebrations ready, so we need to keep playing better, winning games and stay joyful in the process. We need to stay calm and focus because there are more people with us than against us."
Croatia v Brazil takes place at 3pm UK time on Friday, December 9.
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